Is the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa venomous?

No. The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa (Tropidophis jamaicensis) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.

Is the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa is neither poisonous nor venomous.

Is the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa dangerous?

The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.

Where does the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa live?

The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa has verified records in 2 countries, including Jamaica, Cuba. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Tropidophiidae

Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa

Harmless

Tropidophis jamaicensis

Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa — Tropidophis jamaicensis, (c) Damion Laren Whyte, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

3 photographs of the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa. (c) Damion Laren Whyte, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa (Tropidophis jamaicensis) is a non-venomous snake in the Tropidophiidae family, recorded in 2 countries.

Family: Tropidophiidae

About the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa

The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa belongs to the Tropidophiidae family, dwarf boas. Small New-World boas that can bleed from the eyes when threatened.

Dwarf boas are small, harmless constrictors of the American tropics. Several have the startling defense of voluntarily bleeding from the mouth and eyes, alongside coiling into a ball and discharging musk.

Its genus, Tropidophis, covers dwarf boas (West Indian dwarf boas). Small, secretive New World snakes famous for a strange defense: they bleed from the eyes and mouth and play dead when threatened.

The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa is non-venomous and harmless to people. Like most snakes it is a quiet predator that helps keep rodents and other small prey in check.

It has been recorded in Jamaica and Cuba.

Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.

Frequently asked: Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa

Is the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa venomous?: No. The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa (Tropidophis jamaicensis) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.
Is the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa poisonous?: Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa is neither poisonous nor venomous.
Is the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa dangerous?: The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
Where does the Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa live?: The Jamaican Brown Dwarf Boa has verified records in 2 countries, including Jamaica, Cuba. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Where it is found

Jamaica Cuba

More Tropidophiidae snakes

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards: Squamata
FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits: Tropidophiidae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species: Tropidophis
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name: Tropidophis jamaicensis

Keep learning

Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.